


The Less You Know the Better

by el_gilliath



Series: The Cowboy Vigilante [1]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Vigilante Michael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-24 18:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20019106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/el_gilliath/pseuds/el_gilliath
Summary: “I didn’t think you would show.”Alex spins around, taking in the masked man standing behind him. The beautiful hazel eyes he dreams of are watching him, taking him in. The curls, normally hidden underneath a black cowboy hat are flying freely, still looking as soft and beautiful as always. He’s wearing the same outfit he’s always in, black jeans and a black denim jacket overtop a white t-shirt, cowboy boots and large belt buckle. A vigilante known as The Cowboy is still hilarious to Alex, but damn if the mystery man doesn’t make it look good.





	The Less You Know the Better

**Author's Note:**

> For day 7 of Roswell, New Mexico week for Tumblr the prompt was Free Day. One thing I have always wanted to do is make a story based on a photoedit, but I’ve never had the chance. 
> 
> So when the delightful Lucie / isobelevans on tumblr posted [this](https://lsobelevans.tumblr.com/post/186581501662/lsobelevans-day-6-parallel-universe), I jumped at the chance and said MAY I? Thankfully, she said yes (and I really hope you like it). 
> 
> So here, have some vigilante!Michael AU. Which I will be expanding on at a later date, yes.

“I didn’t think you would show.”

Alex spins around, taking in the masked man standing behind him. The beautiful hazel eyes he dreams of are watching him, taking him in. The curls, normally hidden underneath a black cowboy hat are flying freely, still looking as soft and beautiful as always. He’s wearing the same outfit he’s always in, black jeans and a black denim jacket overtop a white t-shirt, cowboy boots and large belt buckle. A vigilante known as The Cowboy is still hilarious to Alex, but damn if the mystery man doesn’t make it look good.

“You know your mask isn’t really hiding much of your face when you’re not wearing the hat, right?” And it’s not, the strip of leather over his eyes hides almost nothing without the cowboy hat there to throw more shadow on his face.

Cowboy just laughs, shrugging as he does. “It’s okay, I don’t mind if you see my face.”

“Have you forgotten that I’m the son of Chief Jesse Manes?”

“I still know who you are. You planning on turning me in, Alex?” Cowboy asks, his voice taking on a sultrier tone as he slowly moves closer to Alex. Alex feels almost hypnotized, watching Cowboy as he comes closer and closer. Up close, those hazel eyes are even more beautiful, like shining jewels created to torture Alex with the knowledge that he shouldn’t be looking at them this closely.

Cowboy is, after all, a sworn enemy of his family, someone his father and brothers have pledged to catch even if the vigilante has never done anything wrong, only stopped robberies and murders, caught a kidnapper or two. His dad doesn’t like anyone that shows up the police. Even less a vigilante that stopped his son from being murdered like his dad wanted him to be. Being Chief Jesse Manes’ son is never easy, being the son he knows his father hates is even worse. There are fragments of Alex that wonders if his father could love him if he wasn’t gay, but he doubts it. The curse of looking like his mother threw that possibility out the second she ran away with another woman.

“No, I don’t want to turn you in. But I don’t want anyone to see your face either,” Alex whispers in the small space between them, Cowboy now standing as close as he can be.

“Don’t worry, they won’t,” Cowboy whispers back, lifting his hands to cradle Alex’s face. “Your face though. How beautiful you are, darlin’.”

The slight twang in his voice takes Alex by surprise. He’s talked to Cowboy a dozen times by now, the Vigilante hiding his accent every time, only the smallest of snippets coming out. But there it is, in all its drawl-y nature. It makes him smile.

“What’re you smiling for?”

“Your accent. I’ve never really heard it before.”

Cowboy just looks at him, a small smile on his face. “Well that’s a damned shame. I’ll try to bust it out whenever I see you alone like this.”

“You planning on being alone with me a lot?”

“Well you know, as many times as I can.”

Alex snorts, his mind already supplying him with a dozen different comebacks. But he doesn’t get to say any of them, as Cowboy draws him into a kiss. 

It startles him, even though it shouldn’t. How many times has he wished for this, wished to have the Cowboy’s hands on him, their lips touching, their bodies pressed tight together. How many times have they been just this close, looking at each other, both of them wanting to kiss each other but not being able to for some reason or another. To have Cowboy’s lips on his is a sensation he’s been craving since their first chat a month ago, to have it finally happen is a wish come true.

And what a kisser he is, soft, full lips that make kissing a joy, soft brushes of tongue that makes his extremities tingle, quick nips of teeth on his lower lip, that makes him want to stay in his embrace forever. He presses closer, tangling his hands in Cowboy’s curls that are just as soft as they look. Cowboy’s hands move from holding his face, encircling him at his lower back, one hand clutching at the bottom of his shirt as if to ask for permission.

Alex moans into the kiss, one hand curling as he lightly tugs at the curls in his hand. Cowboy grins into the kiss as he slides his hand up Alex’s shirt, slowly touching his skin his palm spreading on Alex’s back. His other hand joins the first up Alex’s shirt, stroking his side softly.

It makes Alex giggle softly before he can stop himself. Cowboy breaks the kiss to look at him in surprise, a huge grin appearing on his face as Alex blushes.

“Are you ticklish?” He asks, his grin growing as Alex blushes even more.

“Shut ut, Cowboy.”

Cowboy laughs, his hazel eyes shining in a way that seems to be out of this earth. Eyes that beautiful shouldn’t be legal.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell,” Cowboy whispers, pressing another soft kiss to Alex’s lips, before he moves back. Alex makes a soft sound of protest, one that makes Cowboy smile again. “We’re not here to make out, Alex.”

“I know. I just-”

“Really like kissing me? Don’t worry darlin’, we can do more of that later.” Cowboy winks, making Alex glower at him. He might be beautiful, but god what a cheesy idiot he can also be. “I wouldn’t stop kissing you if I could, but I really need the intel you have.”

“Okay,” Alex says. “Why do you need intel on Project Shepherd anyway?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Not even a little?”

Cowboy shakes his head, sending him a wry smile in apology. “The less you know the better. For now at least.”

Alex searches his eyes, finding nothing but regret and pain in them. Whatever Cowboy needs info on Project Shepherd for, it’s probably something he shouldn’t be involved with. But he did steal the intel from his father, so even if Cowboy is trying to protect him, Alex will be looking into it on his own time. If nothing else, maybe the intel he finds can help protect Cowboy later down the line. Maybe it will protect him enough that one day he will finally get a name.

“I sorted the intel into three piles, one is about the project itself, one is about the people involved, and one is about its backers. At least what I could find, Shepherd is incredibly protected. I can get you more, but it’ll take time,” he says, fishing a USB drive out of his pocket and handing it over to Cowboy, who takes it gingerly and puts it in an inner pocket of his denim jacket.

“Thank you, Alex.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just, if you ever get the chance. Tell me your name?”

Cowboy grins, that smug, shit-eating grin that Alex ~~loves~~ _hates_. “One day, I will. I’ll take off my mask, show you my entire face, kiss you breathless and tell you my name. My entire, birth given name. Until then, hearing you call me Cowboy ain’t half bad.”

A laugh leaves Alex involuntarily, but he can’t help it. Cheesy, hot, idiot indeed.

He opens his mouth to reply, but sirens interrupt him. They’re not far, though as the sound gets closer it’s apparent that something must be happening. And he knows what that means.

“Guess that’s your clue.”

Cowboy smiles as he picks up the cowboy hat from the crate it was left on and puts on his head. 

“Guess it is. I’ll see you around, Alex,” he says with a wink before he runs off.

Alex smiles to himself, a small smile he knows betray all the crush like feelings he has for the vigilante. “Not if I see you first.”

\---------------------

It dawns on him as he walks away, even knowing with absolute certainty that he could see Cowboy’s face since the leather strip he calls a mask hides absolutely nothing, that the only thing he remembers about his face, are his eyes.


End file.
